Echo ultrasound is an established technique in the area of medical imaging. Typically, an ultrasound imaging system has electronics for remote excitation of an ultrasound transducer array or probe to obtain cross-sectional images of the internal organs. In transesophageal imaging, an ultrasound probe is inserted into a patient's esophagus. Multi plane transesophageal imaging allows a diagnostician to view an image of a desired cross-section of the patient's heart. To obtain multiple cross-sectional images, the transducer array rotates within the tip of the probe. The size of the probe is limited by the physical connection from the rotatable transducer array to the electrical circuit. The existing multi plane transesophageal probe head size is typically 19 mm in diameter which may cause discomfort for patients having a small esophagus.
A probe having a reduced size of the probe head is desirable to minimize the patient's discomfort during an ultrasound procedure. A smaller probe would allow patients with small esophagus, such as children, the same level of diagnostic care as those with larger esophagus.